500th RECord - 1st [re/rec] shame shame on me, especially considering that back in december i swore to make these weekly *tsk*tsk* well, no dwelling in the past. I'm here now :) let me begin by saying... i wish you couldn't un-heart things!! you can't imagine how many things i accidental un-hearted while combing through my long list of RECommends. bleh..

this being my very first [re/rec] album i decided to present you all with a few of my all time favourite RECords. these are the RECords that live within my heart my brain and my memory, they are amongst the first things my mind draws when i think of hitRECord. For whatever reason (as I'll explain in detail below) these select RECords made a long lasting impression.

Also, as I gathered these RECords.. one thing became clear. They are all (pretty) old. All of the RECords selected for this album are at least a year old.. and this got the cogs in my rusty noggin excited. So.. i got an idea! As I continue along this process of making future [re/rec] albums, I'm going to use the first album of each month.. purely for older RECords. We are all aware of how easily RECords get swallowed up and lost in the masses, so I see these special OG[re/rec] albums of particular importance :)

ok.. enough blabbing?? alright.. lets get to the recommendations:

AUDIO

phone call sample by via - here we have a simple audio RECord. but in its simplicity there is an abundance of beauty, creation and honesty. via uses the message recorder on her home phone to capture a melody before it slips her mind. i use to do this too, however i never created something so euphonic, which via seems to accomplish with ease. i would suggest you go check out her other audio tracks, too :)

Got my Hair Cut by KamPAIGN- i don't know where to start. Kam makes shit happen! I'm serious! pixel pilgrim had a cool RECord, Bass, Vocals & Social Commentary which I thought was brilliant on its own, then Kam came along and added killer vocalmentals and blew my mind. I've listened to thousands of songs on hitRECord, and still this stands out clearly.

Shadow Ver.2 by Channing Tatum- If you've ever wandered into new art territory, I think you could appreciate the bravery of anyone who takes the risk and posts it for all to see/hear. Chan did that with this RECord. Now, that is not why I love it.. though it is the reason I gave it a listen the first time 'round. It begins with Metaphorest.. and when Chan comes in with his row-row-row-your-boat-esque harmony, a sudden chill comes over me. And no matter how many times i've listened to this it still happens, every time. His smooth voice runs along side Meta's beautifully. Just, a wonderful combination of talent.

Dance-O-Rama by Johnny 4 the City- Created for the Dance Around the World collab, this song does just that.. its a journey for your ears, taking you across invisible border lines and I can't keep still when listening to this piece. My ears fall in love with the seamless transitions and the rest of my body goes along for the ride.

Mr. White Remix by Dr. Gory- maybe you've heard me gush over the wonderful Dr. Gory and his work before? or maybe that was all in my head.. but i've formed quite a little crush on him and i blame his insane talent for that. This guy got skills. Mr. White Remix is a wicked track of several pre-existing RECords, welded together by the Great Doctor. It's a piece of music magic that simultaneously haunts and seduces me.. or why don't you just take a listen for yourself.. maybe I'm making it all up.

Video

Sun Walk by zan- this RECord didn't encode properly here on v.4 but if you like compiling and editing videos together, Sun Walk is definitely worth downloading. I mean, who doesn't like sun lit fields? It's whimsical and dreamy.. a RECord that brings the girly side of me to surface and reminds me of those days long ago in my youth.. when I dreamt of running hand in hand with prince charming in the fields behind our castle ^__^

Trace by Gimik Jo- here we have a brilliant example of how Miss Johanna uses her knack for RECord making to evoking one's emotion. With Trace, she married a mixture of poetry readings and video footage to create a stunning -no frills- RECord.. with one message. LOVE. Truly beautiful piece of work.

Tiny Stories #1 Flutterlings by wirrow- believe it or not, hitRECord lived and thrived long before tinystories came around but these itsy bitsy tales quickly made their way into our hearts.. an unassuming concept of bite sized literary treats available in every flavour. and Flutterlings was our first peek into wirrow's secret world of wonder. since that glorious day of late feb. 2010, over 3,000 tinystories have been created. it started with this one.. and still, it's my favourite.

About A Star (Tiny Story Animation) by Horrorshock666- John has a gentle, non-intrusive way about his work. An effortless storyteller is he.. and with this endearing animation he brings Mushr's tinystory to life. I absolutely love how the line drawings offer a straight forward telling of the story. He has another tiny story animation called Bonsai, which is done in a similar tone as this one. I'd recommend checking that one out, too.

Getting Sundance-e-ready by iasiosee- lookie lookie another talented man by the name of John :) I really dig this RECord. I love the fact that we never see his face, 'tho I wouldn't mind looking at him.. I appreciate the anonymity. It could, plausibly, be any man. and.. as a side note, i now expect men to get dressed in this fashion. because John did it so well ;)

Text

the letter by MisterB- the first time i read this story, it made a little home in the deepest corner of my heart and it's been living there since. It is a story about hope and lost and love and pain and joy and sadness, all elegantly stitched together by the incredible MisterB. He tells an unbelievably beautiful tale and nothing I say here could ever do it justice. I sincerely hope, you take the time to read it.. and here is a *hug* for doing so :D

i love words by mushr- ooooh Imee, how marvelous is she! i happen to LOVE words, too and this text RECord is the perfect ode! an ultimate form of praise.. an entire poem dedicated to the very words which make it. Brilliant ^__^ i'd also suggest you check out MetristAdrift's reading. Great stuff!

bokeh (audience interactive) -one act play- 1st draft by ziggy- oh shit, if you haven't read this yet.. please, please do so. Ben manages to cram this play with ridiculous amounts of wit and humor. I pray that this comes to life one day. Matter of fact, each time I'm at a theatre waiting for the curtains to pull back.. I'm secretly hoping that by some thespian miracle, two actors are on stage.. paused. frozen. awaiting their chance to share this play with the rest of the world.

Image

Self by Giveemhellkid- this dude has got a stunning portfolio but this self portrait is my favourite. In general I'm already a huge fan of well shot self portraits. Its a considerably difficult thing to capture. So, when I find one of this kind of quality AND brimming with character, I get lost in it.

Shower Curtain by MattConley- I know, Matt is renowned for his spectacular video skills. And though I love his ability to express art through various forms of media, his phenomenal talents as a photographer are the first things to mind when I think of Matt. I like this particular image because of the extraordinary play with lights, shadows & silhouettes. 

Erm... by Horrorshock666- alright, i could've chosen any one of John's drawings but this one is sooo fun! Especially because it's completely outside of his comfort zone but still screams his name. His distinct style acts like a signature which leads to interesting results when combining something sweet and loving with a naturally off beat, set of characters. And as an extra bonus, this is a RECord from back in the days when John didn't have a scanner, so its got this mysteriously awesome colour gradient on it (a result of photographing said RECords with his web cam.. problem solving at it's best!)

Books at Dusk by MattConley- there are three simple reason to love this photo. First, its got books! Second, its even got a window! and Thirdly, it has a great blue hue over it. Three things I looooooove! Now he is giving them all to me in one shot? well.. here is my heart, Matt, you can keep it. Ok, no.. seriously, this is another example of Matt's keen photographic eye. Excellent stuff!

Flawed Systems by Kaylaxane- as mentioned above, i loooove blue. The composition is perfectly set, the vibrant colours bring the walls and the paved path to life. The crisp one point perspective, and of course that missing brick! All of these elements play off of each other like a 4 piece jazz band working in harmony.

(Portrait) wirrow by wirrow- it's simple really.. I love this. I like to think it was made for me. Yes, wirrow and I weren't friends when he drew this, heck we never even knew of each other's existence.. but I want to believe so badly that this little ink heart squink was indeed made for me.. that i go ahead and pretend it was :D

Collab

Family Band Collaboration by RichieMillennium- Really? do i need to explain myself? It's a family! and it's a band! it's a family band! Fucking genius, right? I myself have only submitted a tiny little thing but I plan to rectify that very soon, and I'm hoping you come with. So, go ahead and find yourself a bad ass anything to bang around and make some music with us! Check out Richie's Our New Family Band for a little back story on how this awesomeness came to be :)

Bring Your Own Words by Albert- Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you.. the collab that i've been stuck on for the past 18 months. Though I am completely in awe of the concept and all the RECords which have already been contributed.. I apparently, am not cut for this kind of challenge. Such great legends as Metaphorest's Morgan M. Morgensen began in this collaboration. I might not have the chops to do it, but if you have the courage to try.. I strongly urge you to check it out!

hitRECorder

_buttercup: sweet, kind, encouraging, loving, giving, inspirational, talented, beautiful.. all terms which accurately describe Lena. She is a true gift to hitRECord, her words of support and her loving heart is the very thing that makes hitRECord more that a production company. Her innate ability to love and that amazing spirit of hers, it's what makes us a community. A family. So, I thank you, Lena for helping to make hitRECord a beautiful place to be <3